


No, I don’t think I will

by a-ship-in-every-port (lathir)



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, M/M, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lathir/pseuds/a-ship-in-every-port
Summary: What if “Avengers: Endgame” happened exactly as we saw and yet exactly as we wanted too? This is my Endgame, cannon compliant, complete fix-it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	No, I don’t think I will

**Author's Note:**

> I had so many problems with the last few minutes of Avengers: Endgame… SO MANY problems. The murder of Steve’s character development was the first. Another was that odd line Old Steve gave Sam when asked about his wife. Steve’s “No, I don’t think I will” made no sense in any context. One could see why Sam might be angry at Old Steve, but Steve has no reason to be angry at Sam. This is the obvious place for meaningless, but comforting, small talk. Old Steve can talk about how wonderful she was and build a bridge between Sam and Steve’s missing years. Steve says no. Why? Sorry, but that is a string that begs to be pulled.
> 
> The first reaction I’m sure many observant fans had was that Steve wouldn’t tell Sam about her because the spouse wasn’t a her. So far, so obvious. The more I thought though, the more I wondered why the Russo’s would put such an obvious flag in a sales pitch for Steve and Peggy’s Happily Ever After? This is my answer. I haven’t seen this in any other fanfic. If you know of one that presents this scenario, please send me the title. I’d like to see someone else’s take on it.

Finding him after the battle… after Tony’s body had been removed from the field had been overwhelming. Given that Tony had… died, Bucky was terrified for Steve. He needed to see him, hold him. In Wakanda, before Thanos, Bucky had finally admitted that he did remember they were together before the war. Now Bucky couldn’t help but imagine the ways the universe might try to separate them. Again. The universe seemed to have it in for them after all. The hug confirmed Steve was still here and mostly healthy. It was too brief, just a minute or two, but there were many injured and Steve had to take charge of the field. Bucky understood and stepped up to help. They’d talk later. 

**

As Bucky sat next to Steve at the lake the night before Tony’s funeral, he couldn’t pinpoint what he saw that alerted him. Steve just had that “I’m a little shit” feel that always heralded him doing something stupid. Bucky had seen Steve do stupid often enough to recognize it. 

“Did I tell you that I saw Peggy?”

“What…?” Bucky was completely confused but given how many times were at play it really wasn’t surprising. “Before the second battle?”

Steve laughed. “No. During the Time Heist. Tony and I had to go back farther to get the Tesseract and she was there just on the other side of a window.” Steve smiled the beatific smile he usually sported when thinking about Peggy. Peggy. Bucky’s stomach dropped. That was what he was doing. Damn. Bucky had thought this time… this time they would get a break. No war and modern attitudes. They could finally continue what they had rebuilt in Wakanda. Apparently not. Steve did still have all of the stupid with him. Bucky stared at the lake no longer listening to Steve wax poetic about how beautiful Peggy Carter had been in the 1950s.

**

“I’m gonna miss you buddy.” Bucky whispered. He knew Steve didn’t want Bruce or Sam to know what he was up to until he was gone. Buck was going to be as good a friend as he could be and help, but he couldn’t let Steve go without a goodbye.

“It’s gonna be okay Buck.” Steve smile was small, but sincere. Bucky bit back his retort. It may we be okay for Steve, but Bucky didn’t think he would get any type of okay from this. It hurt even more that Steve wasn’t going to acknowledge it. He wasn’t even going to give Bucky his goodbye.

**

Steve sat comfortably on the bench facing the lake while Sam stood next to him, Bucky stood frozen some distance away, and Bruce hung back behind Bucky and in front of the time platform. Bucky couldn’t take his eyes of the glitter of gold reflecting from Steve’s left hand. He had known it was going to happen. To see the proof was much more painful than he expected.

“Tell me about her.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Steve smiled gently to soften the reply even as Sam frowned at him. 

Sam didn’t know what to say. When had Steve ever declined to talk about Peggy? Never. In their time together the only person Steve talked about more than Peggy was Bucky. So apparently Steve had changed quite a bit in the last thirty seconds and 80 years. Before Sam could try a change of topic a loud whoosh from the time platform interrupted them.

Everyone turned just in time to see someone stumble out of a familiar orange glowing time portal. Sam spun in a circle looking for the Sorcerer Supreme but saw no one other than Bruce, Bucky, Old Steve, and the newcomer. Suddenly Bucky took off toward the platform at a run. “Steve?”

Sam turned toward the newcomer, shocked to recognize Steve… Their Steve from a few minutes ago. If that was Steve… Who was Old Steve?

Steve ran to Bucky sweeping him into a hug. “Bucky!” Bucky didn’t mean to stiffen in resistance to the hug, but he did. Steve hesitantly let Bucky go and stepped back looking concerned and confused. Bucky took another step back from Steve. Steve’s confusion deepened. “Buck?”

Bucky stared at Steve as if he didn’t know him. “Why… why are you back?”

Steve froze. “Why am I…? Did you not want me to come back?” The hurt in Steve’s voice was quiet yet tangible. He looked to the ground then stepped back slightly as if to run.

“What- NO. I definitely wanted you to come back. I just… I just didn’t think you were going to. Chance of a lifetime after all.” Bucky laughed, but not happily. “You, able to go back in time to the love of your life. Why would you come back?”

“The love of my…? Bucky. Do you really not know that YOU are the love of my life? For a hundred years and hopefully for another hundred or two more. It’s always been you. Y’know, til the end of the line and all that?”

Bucky shook his head. “But Peg…?”

“Oh Buck.” Steve pulled Bucky forward into another hug, burying his head in Bucky’s shoulder. 

“You were so excited to have seen her the last time jump. And I know you were up to something with this one.”

“I loved Peg. I did.” Bucky could hear him, but just barely. “She was the only woman who ever saw ME. Just like you were the only man to see ME. If we had gone home after the war we both know we probably would have gotten houses next to each other, me and Peg and you and some dame who saw you like I did. We couldn’t have done much other than that could we? Not back then.” Steve lifted his head and stared into Bucky’s eyes, raising his hand to cradle Bucky’s cheek. “But this is not that time. NOW WE CAN. Now we can be together honestly. And while I do love Peggy, I’ve loved you since I met you. Nearly my entire life Buck.”

“Stevie…” 

“Besides if Peg really was the love of my life… I would have found some way to survive the plane crash. I had a little time, I had Peggy on the radio to take down coordinates, and I had Howard Stark ready to come fish me out of the ocean. I knew it. I’m fairly sure Peggy even knew it. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t face life without you.”

“Oh baby…” Bucky leaned back and touched their lips together so gently Bucky thought of butterfly wings. They had shared passion many times, but this soft kiss was just as much them too. Gentle, true, unwavering in the way their connection had been since they first met. Steve’s lips caressing Bucky’s and Bucky melting into Steve. Everyone else slipped away. It was only them. Reality intruded and Steve reluctantly pulled back knowing that there were more pressing issues right now. But soon. Soon. He turned to smile at Sam who had been ignored since Steve’s return. Instead he saw himself standing next to Sam. Himself, old.

“What the hell are you doing here old man?” Steve took Bucky’s hand and pulled him over toward Steve. Old Steve. Whatever.

“Good to see you too, Kid.” Old Steve smiled his signature little shit smile. Bucky stared at the two of them. Sam stared at the two of them.

“Do you two… know each other?” Sam asked.

“Of course.” Old Steve and Steve said in unison.

“How?” Sam and Bucky asked in unison.

“I needed the shield to give to Sam. It was in use in the past and gone in our time, so I took a detour to arrange for a delivery.” Turning to Old Steve, “You were supposed to be gone by now.” Steve finished irritably.

“Oh, lighten up grumpy. I’m on my way… Gods, I was always so dramatic.” Old Steve laughed softly.

Bucky shook his head trying to clear it. “Wait. You said you wouldn’t tell Sam about her. Why?”

“Because it was never a her, but I can’t say anymore. I’ll ruin the surprise.” Old Steve laughed and stepped forward to cradle Bucky’s cheek running a weathered thumb along his face. “Ah, Bucky your cheekbones have always been my undoing.” He kissed Buck lightly and, reaching for his wrist band, disappeared.

“Steve? Do you have anything to tell me?” Bucky asked, eyes focused on the now empty spot from which Old Steve had disappeared. 

“What a little shit! He cannot keep a secret to save his exceptionally long life.” Steve nudged Bucky who spun to find Steve on bent knee holding up a simple gold ring much like that on Old Steve’s finger. “Marry me? Please.”

Bucky laughed, dropped to his knees in front of Steve, kissed him quickly, and held out his hand for the ring. “Yes, yes, yes!”

It took a few minutes for the laughter to calm down. Bruce and Sam both yelling in excitement when they saw both Steve and Bucky on bent knee. “FINALLY!!!” Sam cheered as Bruce, somewhat more quietly, agreed. Bucky and Steve just laughed.

“No surprise?” Steve asked as he stood and offered Bucky a hand up.

“What? NO. You’ve never kept your relationship quiet. WHY would we be surprised?” Sam hollered over his shoulder as he followed Bruce to help pack up time travel equipment.

“Obviously, you knew. It was so exciting to be able to be OUT in this century we couldn’t have kept it quiet among friends at all. But marriage?” Steve and Bucky started dismantling the time machine connection to the platform. Everyone knew this technology needed to be locked up far away and never used again. 

“No, marriage isn’t a surprise at all. You two love birds… a hundred years? My only surprise was that you didn’t do it earlier – before Thanos.” Bruce said quietly. He didn’t want to bring up any painful issues at such a happy time, but everyone had been curious why the super soldiers didn’t marry after Bucky had mostly recovered in Wakanda.

“Ah. Yeah.” Steve responded. Bucky remained quiet as he continued to pack up time equipment. “We talked about it. I would have married Bucky the minute he remembered who I was, but he didn’t think he was a good choice for me anymore. He kept it hidden that he did remember me… us.”

“I wasn’t a good choice for you. Tie yourself to the most notorious assassin in the modern age? Only you would think that was okay.” Bucky huffed, “And, yet he still managed to persuade me to admit I did remember us.” Steve smiled a small tolerant smile. Clearly this conversation had happened more than a few times. “You sap.”

Steve laughed. “Well, I’d waited over a year Buck. It was killing me not knowing if you had any idea about us at all.”

“Sneaky sap.” Bucky leaned over and kissed Steve lightly, making clear that his grumbling was just for show.

“Anyway, once we got on the same memory page, we started talking about the future…” Steve’s face tensed. “I had hoped we could find a way to repair the rift in the team.” Bruce, Sam, and Bucky understood immediately and nodded sadly. “Then, before we could even try… Thanos #1.” Steve paused. “But…” Steve was interrupted by a yell from up the hill toward the cabin.

“Hola!” Bruce, Sam, and Bucky spun instantly in shock. “We are not ghost or demons returned… well, she’s not. I’m no more demon than I was.” Tony Stark grinned at them, obviously enjoying the surprise and the witty dialogue that was his trademark. Standing next to him on one side, Natasha just smiled. Standing next to him on the other, an obviously shaken, but joyful Pepper held Morgan who was watching her father in fascination and a little confusion.

Sam was first to recover and spun toward Steve. “STEVEN GRANT ROGERS, WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Steve smiled his golden everything is sunshine smile and gestured as if to say Who? Me? However, before anyone could get close enough to beat him for perceived crimes against time, he spoke up. “First, I was going to tell you. I was actually just coming to that when these two jumped the gun.” Looking at Tony and Natasha with a frown he chastised, “Didn’t I say we’d need to let them into this secret SLOWLY and gently? Natasha, you were supposed to keep him corralled.”

Natasha laughed. “Have you met him?!”

“Second, as Tony said, they are neither ghosts or demons or anything else that starts another problem for us to solve. Come over here and let me explain. It’s all… a little complex.”

As everyone found a seat on the still standing time platform that was, thankfully, no longer hooked up to the time machine, Steve continued. “Third, I didn’t do this. The Ancient One did.” He paused for a bit to let that sink in.

Bruce was the most confused given that he knew The Ancient One and knew her attitude on time trickery. “Okaaay… go on.”

“Morgan, I know this is a lot to take in, especially after the difficult week you and your Mom have had already. If, at any time, you don’t understand what I’m saying please let me know.” Steve paused and sent a Captain America is disappointed in you stare at Tony. “Yes, Tony. I know how smart Morgan is and I know well that she probably understands all of this – or will when I’m done – better than anyone other than you and Shuri. But it is still a lot and a bit of a shock. I want to make sure she asks questions if she has any.” Steve’s final look at Tony was clearly the Captain America is telling YOU to be quiet now. Amazingly, Tony was.

“So, I’d like to take credit for it, but it really was The Ancient One.”

Natasha interrupted, “No. You were the one to bring it up. None of us, even Tony, could have run with it like The Ancient One did, BUT YOU asked.” Natasha smiled, happy to have insisted Steve get the credit she knew he deserved.

“That… is true. Hmm, go me.” Again, the sunshine smile. Bucky just couldn’t… He took Steve’s’ hand in his and held on tightly while Steve continued. “So, Natasha is referring to the return of the Soul Stone, which actually began with the return of the Time Stone. I had just given the Time Stone back to The Ancient One. I asked her if she could help me prepare to return the Soul Stone since I knew from Clint that I was not only returning to where Natasha died, but might be running into Red Skull too.”

Bucky gasped. “What?!”

Steve nodded to Buck, raised Bucky’s hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “Yeah. The Keeper of the Soul Stone is Red Skull. No one, not even The Ancient One, understands how or why… Apparently when he tried to use the Tesseract and was sent into space leaving me on the Valkyrie, he was… sentenced… to guard the Soul Stone. For eternity, we think.” Steve took a deep breath. “Anyway, I knew the return to Vormir would be difficult, so I asked for some advice. I never expected her to… realize what she did. In fact, that brings up a suggestion I have for the Avengers. Since we, uh, are now engaged with the universe maybe we should arrange some further education? Dr. Strange or Captain Marvel or… Thor? We need to know more about the rules out there. As I was saying, I asked The Ancient One if she knew who the keeper of the soul stone was and what I could expect. She didn’t know the keeper at that point, but she did know something much more important: the stone is… governed, I guess, by 'a soul for a soul'. If it is returned the soul sacrificed for it is then returned.” Steve smiled with joy and hugged Natasha close. Everyone else followed, including Tony.

“Don’t get me wrong. That is great in every way… but it doesn’t explain… y’know, him.” Sam pointed at Tony allowing Tony to preen as he clearly wanted to do.

“Indeed.” Steve took up his story again. “I was shocked when she said that we could get Natasha back. I thought the sacrifice was… final. She laughed at me. Laughed – which is why we all need to get a much better education of the ways of the universe. She said if we had not asked for Natasha, she wasn’t sure Red Skull would have sent her back to me. He might have just brought her back to life on Vormir but stuck there. That would meet the rules of the stone.” Natasha dropped her eyes to the ground. She, Steve, and Tony had discussed this possibility and it was chilling to all. “I told her that – we would never have known to ask for Nat back without her suggestion, so what else might we be missing about the stones? She asked me to tell her everything from the start. It was a good thing I was working with time travel. It took days to discuss just what I, alone, knew about Thanos. I started with his attack on Earth in 2012. It told her about Loki – oh, and she said Loki was probably brainwashed at that time in the same way Clint was later. I told her about Thanos attacking Asgard and the many deaths on the planet and on the ship. She said those couldn’t be reversed as death in the usual conduction of life just is.” Steve paused for a minute, obviously sad that he wouldn’t have any happy news for Thor. “In the end she focused on our last battle and Tony’s,” Steve looked up at Tony and smirked, “sacrifice play.” Tony, Natasha, and Bruce laughed, and Steve joined in. Pepper, Sam, and Bucky looked offended on Tony’s behalf. Pepper moved as if to stand up, no doubt ready to slap Captain America.

“Whoa – down Pep. Just a little inside joke among the Avenger OG. We’ll explain.” Tony gently pushed Pepper back into her seated position and, like Steve earlier, raised her hands to his lips and kissed them gently trying to settle her anger. “Really. It’s okay.” Pepper reluctantly calmed down much to Tony’s delight. He glanced at Sam and Bucky, smiling at their irritation too. He wasn’t used to have others offended at anyone’s treatment of him. It was nice.

“I promise Pepper. That was not what it sounded like. It was actually sincere and long overdue apology and compliment to Tony.” Steve smiled at Tony again and continued. “Oh! And something else we didn’t know – she said she was fairly sure Mjølnir would have healed Tony at the time he was… um, injured. Yeah. Injured.” Steve look at everyone silently asking that no one clarify what Tony really was at that moment. It was just too much for him to handle. “She wasn’t sure if it will heal only the worthy but given Tony had just save half the universe she was sure he would qualify.”

Everyone looked to Tony for his snarky comment only to find that, for once, Tony was speechless. “Why didn’t Thor tell us?” Sam asked.

“He might have been unconscious at the time? Maybe he was just beaten up to remember?” Bucky said quietly.

“So, yeah. Stuff we really need to learn. Anyway, The Ancient One used her Time Stone to watch the battle over and over, focusing on Tony’s actions with Thanos and Tony’s snap. After some time, she looked up and said Tony was a sacrifice too. Actually, what she said exactly was ‘You have one stone that requires a sacrifice and yet, three sacrifices.’ By the end she was grinning. Actually grinning. Honestly, The Ancient One grinning is a little frightening, but even so she was delivering news I could have only dreamed.”

“One stone, three sacrifices…? How?” Bruce asked.

Bucky and his love of sci-fi in the 40s solved it first. Nodding to her he explained, “Natasha sacrificed herself for you to get the stone. One.” Nodding to him, Bucky continued, “Tony sacrificed himself when using the stone. Two. And Steve returned – or sacrificed – the stone. Three.” Bucky stared in awe at Steve, then Natasha, then Tony. “Thank goodness stubborn, little shit, won’t leave well enough alone Steve took the stones back. I’m not sure anyone else would have even thought to challenge the Universe.” Everyone laughed and Bucky hugged Steve tightly to him, grateful beyond thought to have his Steve back rather than losing him to Pegs and grateful for him to have his two friends back as well.

Everyone caught their breath and Steve finished the tale. “So, she went with me to Vormir. I would have been willing to fight for them, but nothing I would have done would have been as awesome – or, honestly, as successful I think – as her marching up to Red Skull and demanding the Soul Stone sacrifices back immediately. It was amazing and Red Skull argued for only a few seconds. I think she did something to show him the three sacrifices. The next thing I knew I was flat on my back in shallow water, Tony on one side, and Nat on the other, with The Ancient One looking down on us like we were unruly children caught playing instead of doing chores.”

“She was a bit… intense.” Tony agreed. Nat nodded.

“Now, Tony has to figure out what he wants to do about his announced death. Nat has to decide what she’ll do about her unannounced death. And then, we’ll have a wedding… with everyone.” Steve finished looking happily at Tony, then Nat, then Bucky.

Tony and Nat looked confused for a second until Steve kissed Bucky’s ring and showed it off to them. As before, their response was no surprise. “Finally!” they said in unison.

“Hey Bucky, are you going to retire like Cap?” Sam asked, then glanced at Steve concerned he’d revealed a secret.

Seeing Sam’s concern Steve stepped in, “Tony and Nat know. We discussed it on our return from Vormir. Buck?” 

“I don’t think so. Now that we’ve all been pardoned and recognized with saving the… uh, universe – wow, that is a thought – I might be ready to work for a few years as a good guy again.” Bucky grinned. “I mean, who knows if we all get a little credit for stopping Thanos? If so, I might not have red in my ledger anymore, but I wouldn’t mind erasing my memories of the Winter Soldier with a few superhero years.”

Steve hugged Bucky tightly. “You deserve it. What do you think about a team up – White Wolf and Captain American Falcon?”

Everyone laughed and then found themselves agreeing. “White Wolf and Captain American Falcon. It like it!” Bucky, suddenly shy, turned his face into Steve’s chest and smiled. Given what he expected this morning and what he knew had happened when Old Steve appeared on that bench, he would never have expected to be this happy again.


End file.
